Mr. Dungan Goes to Washington

Rumblings

So it is seeming more and more like Governor Sebelius is going to be our HHS Sec. I'm actually very happy about this choice. Even though she is doing great work in Kansas, it will be nice to get her out on a national stage. I've talked to some people here who agree that she would be great, and needs to get out of Kansas somehow, whether that means running for U.S. Senate (please...please...please) or doing something in the cabinet.

The more I talk about that, the more I see a divide in the kinds of democrats in Kansas. There are those who on November 4th were sitting in the smaller room at the election night watch party saying that they didn't care if Obama won, because to them local elections are all that matter. Then there those who appreciate local politics and their effect on how quickly progressive change can be brought about, but also feel that national level politics need to be a priority in order to bring about actual policy change. I'm not saying either of these are wrong, and I see the merits of both approaches, but I most certainly fall into the latter category. It isn't enough to simply create a number of liberal oases in a conservative sea. I truly believe that one must create big, bold progressive policy at the national level.

This isn't to say, however, that I don't believe in grassroots organizing. I think it is important to bring about this national change from a bottom-up approach so that individuals at every level can get involved. I just don't believe that grassroots organizing is a strictly local affair.

Getting back to Governor Sebelius, I read an interesting article that wonders if the pro-life backlash against her will be too much for President Obama, effectively pushing her name down to the bottom of the list of nominees. This same article claims that Governor Sebelius was much higher on the list of VP nom's, but given her tumultuous past with characters like Phil Kline, she was a much less likely of a choice.

I really hope that this does not hurt her chances. If we let others dictate our policy, then we've no right being here. Let's start taking chances and running into brick walls. We'll get no where if we sit still and try to make everyone happy.

posted by gdungan @ 12:13 PM